As the Irish prepped to face the Broncos, the idea of going to the College Football Playoff hung in the balance, as it does very week of the regular season. Sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore, who missed last game due to an ankle injury, came out and showed out for a sold-out stadium, demonstrating why the Irish deserve that spot.
Moore’s recovery speaks to his mental toughness, even after missing a game as important as Arkansas. As difficult as it was to watch his team last Saturday, he took it as an opportunity to connect with them on and off the field.
“It definitely hurts, but it helps you not to take it for granted,“ Moore said. “It makes you realize how many other ways you can help your teammates, whether it’s coaching off the field, whether it’s watching film and stuff like that.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman highlighted Moore’s injury and what it means for him to be back following the victory.
“You talk about a guy that’s, for I think two weeks, right, he’s been out, and haven’t been able to practice much...it shows you he’s a special player,” Freeman said.
Moore’s first interception came in the third quarter with 1:45 left to play. Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen was looking for his receiver on a crossing route heading toward the left sideline, but rather than hitting his teammate, the ball went straight to Moore’s hands.
Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa also commented on Moore’s interceptions and what that meant for the team.
“It’s different when 15’s out there,” he said. “I love seeing them getting back healthy. But it’s a great feeling knowing you got guys out there that can play man-to-man and play the ball in the deep part of the field.”
The second interception put an exclamation point on Notre Dame’s strongest defensive performance of the season. With 1:45 left in the fourth quarter, Moore smothered his receiver’s route and stole another pass from Madsen to shut down the Bronco offense for the game. The preseason All-American finished the game with six solo tackles to go with his two takeaways.
“I mean, it just comes down to technique and practice reps,“ Moore said. “Doing the same thing every day in practice and when the ball comes to me, just detect the ball.”
Moore also spoke to the excitement of moments when he and the team generate a turnover.
“It definitely feels good just to see anybody get an interception on the team,“ Moore said. “It ignites the team, and that’s what you want to see.”
Freeman also emphasized the belief that he and the coaching staff have in Moore.
“Leonard got enough work that he can go out there and do his job,“ Freeman said. “And it’s just a confidence, I think, that we as a coaching staff, the team has, when he's out there.“
But football is a team sport and Moore did not fail to bring that to light. He gave credit to the rest of the defense, saying, “I mean shoot, we [are] just getting our identity in check, we are going out there playing fast and playing violent.“
When asked about the gains of the defense in the secondary over the past five games, he added, “I think we just understand what we [are] going to get from receivers and understand how they are going to attack us, and I guess we just get into having a mindset of stopping the man in front of us.“
The defense has shown huge improvement after the rocky start. Freeman mentioned the success of the defense, saying, “They work tirelessly to come up with a better output. And I am so proud of them.”
Now 3-2 on the season, Moore and the rest of the Notre Dame football team now prepare to host NC State this weekend, on Oct. 11, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
